Thursday, February 25, 2016

New Technology for PNG weather service

PAPUA New Guineans can now be reliably and efficiently informed on the changing weather patterns in very little time, thanks to the latest Japanese technology.
The latest high resolution Himawari 8 weather metrological observation satellite system was donated yesterday to the National Weather Service by Japanese developer Oriental Electronics.
“The satellite system can easily detect cloud motions, wind directions and speed every 10 minutes,” Yuji Hayashi of Oriental Electronics said.
“This is a new generational satellite. Under the old system, data used was provided after every one hour.”
Hayashi said Himawari 8 had much more variable sensors than data satellite.
He said the new system had 16 cameras from the sensors that not only detected cloud imagery but also vegetation and moisture at the lower, medium and higher altitudes.
Hayashi said the new system’s infrared channel could track cloud temperature which was very useful for analysing weather forecasts.
He said Himawari 8 was not only for satellite images but could capture numerical prediction data, surface observation data and up air observation data.
Hayashi was speaking at the launching of the new system at the National Weather Service office in Port Moresby yesterday.
Meanwhile, NWS Director Samuel Maiha said the new system was very beneficial to the aviation industry as it could detect volcanic ash which can be detrimental for aircraft.
“The signal is the strongest in PNG than anywhere in the world,” Maiha said.
He thanked the Japanese company and World Meteorological Organisation for donating the new system to PNG.